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TL;DR:

  • Davy Jones was asked to perform The Monkees’ “Daydream Believer” 35,000 feet above the ground.
  • He wanted something in return for the performance.
  • “Daydream Believer” became a hit in the United States and a lesser hit in the United Kingdom.
Davy Jones in a chair during The Monkees' "Daydream Believer" era
The Monkees’ Davy Jones | Express/Express/Getty Images

The Monkees‘ “Daydream Believer” features one of Davy Jones’ signature vocal performances. He once performed the song 35,000 feet above the ground. Subsequently, Jones discussed why he did so and what he received in return.

Why Davy Jones decided to sing The Monkees’ ‘Daydream Believer’ on a plane

During a 1992 interview with People, Jones shared an anecdote about “Daydream Believer.” “Recently, I was on a plane, and there were 50 to 100 teenagers from Texas aboard going to Europe for a choir festival,” he said. “They knew I was on the plane. 

“So I went back from first class, and they all stood and applauded. I said, ‘Stay in your seats, folks, don’t rock the plane,'” he added. “They said, ‘Davy, come on sing for us,’ so I said, ‘I’ll tell you what, I’ll trade you one ‘Daydream Believer’ for one of yours, but I’m singing first.'”

The pilot of the plane had a strong reaction to Davy Jones’ in-flight performance

Jones kept his promise. “So I started to sing,” he said. “We’re 35,000 feet up. When I finished, they started to sing. These kids were beautiful.”

The pilot had a strong reaction to the performance. “Afterward, the pilot came on the loudspeaker and said, ‘Thank you very much, and thank you, Davy Jones,’ he said. “And I thought, I’m such a lucky guy. In a world of no’s I get an awful lot of yesses.”

Related

Why The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork Performed ‘Daydream Believer’ Together After Davy Jones Died

How The Monkees’ ‘Daydream Believer’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Daydream Believer” became a massive hit in the United States. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, staying on the chart for 16 weeks in total — becoming the band’s final chart-topper in the U.S. The tune appeared on the album The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees, which hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The album spent a total of 50 weeks on the chart. Notably, The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees was the group’s first album that did not top the Billboard 200.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Daydream Believer” was a hit in the United Kingdom but it wasn’t as popular as it was in the U.S. The song reached No. 5 in the U.K. and lasted on the chart for 17 weeks. On the other hand, The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees never charted there.

“Daydream Believer” is a great song and it sounded great thousands of feet above the ground. 

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